Festive family fun at the library

One of three federal tax liens against Powell councilwoman Sara Marie Brenner’s business has been released.

That business, Powell-based Prestige Music Studios, this month received a partial release of the liens on the business totaling $17,157.87, according to a federal tax lien certificate of release filed with the Delaware County recorder’s office.

Sara Marie Brenner, who joined the Powell City Council in 2010, is the president and CEO of the company, while her husband, Rep. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, serves as the vice president.

Sara Marie Brenner originally faced three liens, totaling $70,989.11, which were filed on different dates.

Throughout the process, Sara Marie Brenner has declined to speak about the situation. A media spokeswoman with the Columbus office of the Internal Revenue Service on Monday declined to discuss the liens, citing federal disclosure laws.

Sara Marie Brenner did on Monday offer a short written statement.

“I have been working on this dispute for the past several months,” she said. “One release has already been filed, and the final release will be filed soon — hopefully yet this year. It’s a slow process. I look forward to having this dispute resolved.”

Both Sara Marie Brenner and Andrew Brenner have received criticism in public office over the situation.

In August, a community member pointed out that Andrew Brenner put $18,000 of his own money into his primary campaign for office, which coincided with the same time period the business allegedly failed to pay its taxes.

In October, Andrew Brenner’s former opponent for state representative, Richard Bird, took that assertion further by asking the Ohio Ethics Commission to determine if any money withheld from Prestige Music Studios or its employees was used to finance Andrew Brenner’s campaign for state representative. The commission later ruled that there was no violation in the matter.

Sara Marie Brenner also has taken heat from the public at Powell council meetings with one resident, Kent Bermingham, asking the council to vacate her seat on the city’s finance committee and requesting that she resign her official duties as a councilwoman.

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